chan

The Electronic Newsletter of the Industrial Refrigeration Consortium

Vol. 16 No. 1, 2016

Commissioning – A Process to Achieve

Sustainable Refrigerated Facilities
The term “commissioning” means different things to different people. In the realm of refrigerated facilities, many
view “commissioning” as the steps or actions taken to successfully start-up a refrigeration plant following its
construction/installation. For example, IIAR defines commissioning as: “[t]he completion of the start-up process,
which demonstrates the ability of the closed-circuit mechanical refrigerating system to automatically operate in a safe
manner and achieve its intended task(s)” [IIAR 2012]. Start-up commissioning or “functional performance testing”
often involves one or more individuals executing installation verification and the actual testing of refrigeration
components and subsystems in accordance with established checklists to ensure their intended function and
performance. Necessarily, start-up commissioning is limited in its scope and potential to correct problems/defects
introduced earlier in the process.

IRC Staff
Director
Doug Reindl (608) 262-6381

Assistant Director
dreindl@wisc.edu In This Issue
Todd Jekel (608) 265-3008
todd.jekel@wisc.edu  Commissioning – A Process to Achieve
Research Staff Sustainable Refrigerated Facilities 1-5
Dan Dettmers (608) 262-8221
daniel.dettmers@wisc.edu  Upcoming Ammonia Classes 2
John Davis (608) 262-8724  Noteworthy 2
jgdavis@epd.engr.wisc.edu

Marc Claas (608) 262-6209

mclaas@wisc.edu

IRC Contact Information Mailing Address

Toll-free 1-866-635-4721 1513 University Avenue
Phone (608) 262-8220 Suite 3184
Madison, WI 53706
e-mail info@irc.wisc.edu Web Address www.irc.wisc.edu
 Vol. 16 No. 1, 2016

Since most industrial refrigeration systems are custom-

engineered and, often, field-erected, defects can and will Upcoming Ammonia
infiltrate at any step in the process from the identification
of owner’s requirements, to preliminary design, to detailed
Courses & Events
design, to component manufacture, during final field Process Safety Management Audits for
installation, and start-up. Because it occurs so late in the Compliance and Continuous Safety
process, defects that do occur can rarely be cost-effectively Improvement
eliminated at the start-up stage of a refrigeration system. January 11-13, 2017 Madison, WI
This results in a substandard refrigeration system being
Introduction to Ammonia Refrigeration
delivered to the owner with performance that is less than
Systems
planned. Any defects that do occur have the potential to March 1-3, 2017 Madison, WI
materially impact the ability of the refrigeration system to
meet its intended operational and performance objectives. Ammonia Refrigeration System Safety
To achieve both successful and sustainable refrigerated April 12-14, 2017 Madison, WI
facilities, appropriate steps must be taken much earlier in 17th Annual IRC R&T Forum
the process of procuring a refrigeration system. May 10-11, 2017 Madison, WI
ASHRAE recognized this long ago as it sought to reduce the Design of NH3 Refrigeration Systems
defects realized in the design, specification, construction, for Peak Performance and Efficiency
and start-up phases of complex building mechanical September 11-15, 2017 Madison, WI
systems. ASHRAE defines the commissioning process (Cx)
as: “a quality-focused process for enhancing the delivery of Process Hazard Analysis for Ammonia
a project. The process focuses on verifying and
Refrigeration Systems
September 20-22, 2017 Madison, WI
documenting that the facility and all of its systems and
assemblies are planned, designed, installed, tested, Introduction to Ammonia Refrigeration
operated, and maintained to meet the Owner’s Project Systems
Requirements (OPR)” [ASHRAE 2015]. Essentially, the October 11-13, 2017 Madison, WI
commissioning process begins with the initial planning and
Principles and Practices of Mechanical
design of a refrigerated facility. It encompasses equipment
Integrity for Ammonia Refrigeration
procurement, shop/field construction, installation, and Systems
system start-up on through the entire first year of system November 1-3, 2017 Madison, W
operation.
Intermediate Ammonia Refrigeration
Commissioning should be viewed as a holistic process that Systems
aims to ensure a refrigeration system will meet the December 6-8, 2017 Madison, WI
owner’s requirements - including refrigeration capacity,

Noteworthy
Noteworthy
 Mark
Visit your calendars
the IRC websitefor
to the 17presentations
access
th
Annualmade IRCatResearch
the 2011 IRC& Technology
Research
Forum May 10-11 in Madison,
and Technology Forum. WI.
 The
Mark
2017 your calendars
schedule 2012 Training
now for theOperator
of web-based IRC Research and
for IRC members hasTechnology
been released.
Forum
Those interested learning more should contact us at info@wisc.edu.
– May 2-3, 2012 at the Pyle Center in Madison, WI.
 Senditems
 Send itemsofofnote
notefor
fornext
nextnewsletter
newslettertotoTodd tbjekel@wisc.edu.
Jekel, ,todd.jekel@wisc.edu.
ToddJekel

2
 Vol. 16 No. 1, 2016

life-cycle performance, operating cost targets, or other measures of performance that are of importance to the
owner. In this context, commissioning does not occur solely during “system start-up.” This vision of a wider scope to
the commissioning process applied to refrigeration systems is uncommon for a couple of reasons. First, the
principles and practices of commissioning are not widely diffused into the industrial refrigeration industry. The
second reason is that owners view holistic process of commissioning as unnecessary and one that simply adds cost
and time to projects without sufficient or measurable value. Yet, industrial refrigeration systems continue to be built
and owners continue to experience problems or cost-overruns.
Commissioning is best viewed as an investment because, when properly executed, it reduces unanticipated project
costs (e.g. change orders), it reduces regulatory risk (e.g. systems will meet applicable codes and standards), and
most importantly, a properly commissioned refrigeration system will meet the owner’s requirements. These factors
translate into significant financial value to the owner. Expect, commissioned industrial refrigeration systems to
operate more reliably with lower maintenance and energy costs, both of which help owners achieve their
sustainability goals. Second, commissioning reduces first cost through improved project communications and a
better understanding of desired system performance, which should translate to more appropriate equipment
selections, system designs and installation methods. Commissioning helps achieve cost-effective and cost-efficient
refrigeration systems for new projects, expansions, remodels, and existing systems that simply need a tune-up.
Refrigeration commissioning (Rx) is defined as:
“…a quality-focused process that begins by establishing clear owner project requirements (OPR) for the
refrigeration system and runs through the first year of refrigeration system operation to ensure the
refrigeration system meets the owner requirements.”
Generally, the commissioning process is led by a commissioning provider (or authority). The commissioning provider
is an entity identified by the owner who will be accountable to lead the overall commissioning process – including
the commissioning team that is comprised with various project stakeholders.
Commissioning provides value to owners and managers of refrigerated facilities by ensuring that project
requirements are met and owners’ expectations are achieved. By following a disciplined process, commissioning
focuses on the owner’s needs and requirements; thereby, ensuring the project teams do the right things the first
time. This results in the delivery of systems with few to no problems. Properly commissioned systems have lower
energy costs, are easier to maintain, have lower risks of
refrigeration leaks, and reduced potential for product/production
Commissioning?
loss due to system failures or unreliable system performance. Think about other complex systems such
Commissioning also sets the stage for on-going or monitoring-based as a modern day automobile. These are
commissioning during operations to ensure persistence of the initial manufactured in high volume with
limited customization and they are
commissioning benefits – expected performance and reliability with
surely not immune from defects. Now
the lowest life-cycle cost. Extending the initial benefits of consider industrial refrigeration systems
commissioning to on-going operations ensures that the owner’s – most are one-of-a-kind and
long-term sustainability goals are achieved. Long-term persistence constructed, in part, in an uncontrolled
strategies include performance monitoring to identify drift in field environment. Is it reasonable to
refrigeration system capacity or energy efficiency and expect or believe that a one-of-a-kind
complex system can be procured
benchmarking to identify opportunities for continuous
without defects? Commissioning aims
improvement. to prevent defects.

3
 Vol. 16 No. 1, 2016

Commissioning Process – An Overview

As noted above, commissioning is a quality delivery process for ensuring a facility or refrigeration system is
designed and operated as intended. As a formal process, commissioning becomes integral to ensuring a facility
is able to achieve larger goals of sustainable design and operations such as life-cycle cost effectiveness, efficient
use of capital, minimizing overall maintenance and utility costs, long equipment life and reliability, and meeting
performance expectations. ASHRAE provides an outline/overview of the commissioning process in its Guideline
0-2013, The Commissioning Process. This commissioning process guideline document defines a general
commissioning process that can be applied to any facility or system. In 2013, ASHRAE published the
Refrigeration Commissioning Guide for Commercial and Industrial Systems. This publication was developed
under ASHRAE’s Special Publication procedures and, as such, is not a consensus document like Guideline 0. The
Refrigeration Commissioning Guide for Commercial and Industrial Systems builds on the concepts and process
outlined in Guideline 0 with specific methods and approaches that can be applied when commissioning
refrigeration systems. The focus of the guide is refrigeration systems that are commonly used in commercial
and smaller industrial facilities (e.g. retail food stores, halocarbon systems for warehouses and food production
facilities). Although specific technical procedures related to large industrial ammonia based refrigeration
systems and large built-up central compressor plants are not addressed in the refrigeration commissioning
guide, the commissioning process itself as-outlined in the guide still applies.
In related applications, the term “commissioning” has historically referred to the process by which the heating,
ventilating, and air conditioning (HVAC) systems of a building were tested and balanced according to
established standards prior to acceptance by the building owner. Today’s use of the term “total building
commissioning” recognizes the integrated nature of all building systems’ performance, which impact
sustainability, workplace productivity, occupant safety and security. Refrigeration commissioning, a subset of
the entire technical commissioning activities that could be performed to achieve the definition total building
commissioning. The scope of total building commissioning performed on a project is dictated by an owner’s
risk tolerance and could include parallel technical commissioning projects that focus on the following systems:
HVAC, plumbing, electrical, lighting, envelope, logistics, racking, docks, seals, material handling systems, fire
safety, security, etc. Commissioning of these other building systems should follow the commissioning process
outlined ASHRAE Guideline 0 with system specific technical requirements.
A refrigeration commissioning team (Rx Team) must include all key project stakeholders. Roles and
responsibilities on a Rx Team will commonly include, but are not limited to, the following:
 Owner: the entity who owns the facility and the project.
 Refrigeration Commissioning Authority (RxA) or Refrigeration Commissioning Provider (RxP): the
entity managing the refrigeration commissioning process (Rx). The RxA may be the owner or an
owner’s representative with the required skill set. When an owner’s representative is used as the
RxA, it is highly desirable for the RxA to be clear of any real or perceived conflict of interest. In other
words, the RxA would not be an employee of the same firm selected as a design-build contractor for
a refrigeration project. Because the RxA plays a crucial role in the success of the overall
commissioning effort, the RxA must have both technical and soft skills.
 Refrigeration Designer: the entity responsible for designing the refrigeration system.
 Contractor(s): the entity or entities hired to construct and install the refrigeration system and its
supporting elements.

4
 Vol. 16 No. 1, 2016

 O&M Staff: the entity responsible for operating, maintaining and supporting the refrigeration
system throughout the life of the facility.

The commissioning process outlined in ASHRAE Guideline 0 consists of five (5) distinct phases – planning,
design, construction, turnover, and first year operation. In an effort to remain consistent with the phases of
commissioning described in the Refrigeration Commissioning Guide for Commercial and Industrial Systems, we
will combine some of the Guideline 0 commissioning phases and use slightly different phase terminology. The
distinct phases of a refrigeration commissioning process, in temporal order, include:

1. Planning
2. Design
3. Construction and Installation
4. Start-Up
5. First-Year Operation

In subsequent Cold Front editions, we will highlight each refrigeration commissioning phase in more
detail and will identify typical project deliverables associated with each Rx phase. It is important to note that
every Rx project is different. The scope of work in each phase can and will vary depending on the size and
scope of a given project, system complexity, project budget, and the owner’s tolerance for risk. The defined
process should be adapted to meet the project’s specific goals.

References
ANSI/IIAR, Standard 1-2012, “Definitions,” International Institute of Ammonia Refrigeration, Arlington, VA,
(2013).
ANSI/IIAR, Standard 5-2013, “Start-up and Commissioning of Closed Circuit Ammonia Refrigeration Systems,”
International Institute of Ammonia Refrigeration, Arlington, VA, (2013).
ASHRAE, Guideline 0-2013, “The Commissioning Process,” American Society of Heating, Refrigerating and Air-
Conditioning Engineers, Atlanta, GA, (2013).
ASHRAE, Guideline 0.2-2015, “Commissioning Process for Existing Systems and Assemblies,” American Society
of Heating, Refrigerating and Air-Conditioning Engineers, Atlanta, GA, (2015).
ASHRAE, Refrigeration Commissioning Guide for Commercial and Industrial Systems, American Society of
Heating, Refrigerating and Air-Conditioning Engineers, Atlanta, GA, (2013b).